Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) CAO Sells $3,229,900.00 in Stock

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.99, for a total value of $3,229,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,536,304.26. This represents a 12.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG traded down $6.97 on Friday, hitting $321.59. 2,079,535 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,682,793. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.33 billion, a PE ratio of 49.32 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $293.94 and a 200-day moving average of $291.95. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $230.08 and a 12-month high of $329.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 36.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Keel Point LLC raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,143 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $62,275,000. Unisphere Establishment increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,486.8% in the 4th quarter. Unisphere Establishment now owns 530,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $150,526,000 after purchasing an additional 509,800 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Monashee Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $19,870,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on AJG shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $312.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Barclays upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $295.00 to $377.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.00.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following business segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.